Sean Dyche Is Doing An Important Job – Conte

Antonio Conte hailed the “great job” that Sean Dyche is doing with Burnley this season ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Turf Moor on Thursday, but claimed that it is easier to manage successfully at a club below the level of Europe’s elite.

Conte — who began his coaching career battling against relegation at Arezzo and Bari — insisted that he has the more difficult job.

“He is doing an important job, a great job this season,” Conte said of Dyche. “But if you start the season to fight to avoid the relegation zone it is more simple, also if you have a small budget, because you can count on a team that in the past you reached the qualification to play again in the league [with].

“It is more difficult when you have to prepare the transfer market to win something because only one team wins, and the others must see [them] win.”

Conte added: “Because you have to avoid the last three places at the bottom [of the league] and then you can stay between 10 teams that play only for this target.

“And then, if you have a good base and you in the previous season played very well you can count on this. You have to fight only to avoid [relegation]. It is difficult if you have to play to win because only one team wins and the others don’t.

“You are the first to speak about a failed season if you don’t win the FA Cup, league, League Cup. It is a failure.

Asked if he would describe this Chelsea season as a failure if they end without a top-four finish or a trophy, Conte replied: “It is not important. We have to finish our season, our job and then there is [the club] who has to judge if the season is a failure or not. This is not my job.”